


Dark Side of the CWA

by MeliandreHaberdasher



Series: Secrets of the CWA [1]
Category: Muscle Bomber, Saturday Night Slammasters, Street Fighter
Genre: Documentary, Fake Merch Shilling, Gen, Past Relationships, Permanent Injury, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 20:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18698908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeliandreHaberdasher/pseuds/MeliandreHaberdasher
Summary: Inspired by Viceland's Dark Side of the Ring series which seeks to shed light on pro wrestling's darkest moments, Dark Side of the CWA seeks to do the same for the Capcom Wrestling Association.Each chapter of the series sheds light on a moment that changed everything. From Black Widow's gender reveal to Victor Ortega's sudden disappearance and reappearance, Dark Side of the CWA will attempt to reveal what lies beneath each of these events and give voice to the stories hidden from fans all over the years.





	Dark Side of the CWA

The Capcom Wrestling Association has been the dominant wrestling organization since the 1980's, but it is filled with secrecy. Beneath it's spectacular exterior lie stories that have not been told to the masses. Often derided in that era for continuing to stick to non-worked matches, as opposed to its more predetermined competition, it soared and cemented its place as the top wrestling organization in the world, selling out crowds from New Delhi to New York, thrilling millions with powerful men and women battling it out for supremacy.

However, its road to glory was filled with problems that many outside of the wrestling world do not know. From its difficulties as a rough coalition of 8 different organizations, it grew into the show-business juggernaut we know today and no other moment exemplifies these growing pains than Black Widow's gender reveal.

While we know today that the wrestler known as Black Widow is unquestionably a woman, when she was the most active, she hid this information from the CWA and the public at large. Mike Haggar, former mayor of Metro City and retired pro wrestler, has fought her and with her on numerous occasions, both before and after the reveal.

(Please tell us about yourself.)

"Everyone watchin' should already know who I am!"

(Humor us, all right?)

“Hi, I'm Mike Haggar. You might have voted for me if you're in Metro City, or you might have cheered me on when I finally got my hand on that CWA championship. Hah, I still remember having the belt on my left shoulder, and my daughter Jessica on my right as the fans celebrated my victory. Was the best way I found to keep her away from Cody... These days, I keep busy with the occasional match and I train some hopefuls in my own gym. Look it up if you're ever in Metro City and need to be pounded into shape! Anyway, you're not here for that. You're here to hear me talk about Black Widow.

Black Widow... back in the day, we didn't know what to make of her. She hid her womanhood from everyone and I do mean _everyone_. I remember asking Zalazof and Colt whether they knew anything about her, and neither knew anything. Still, if we'd paid attention to Japan's women's wrestling, we'd have known much earlier turns out! Even Budo was surprised when she removed the full body outfit.”

(What would you say about Black Widow as a wrestler?)

“She's one of the most vicious opponents I've had the honor of sharing the ring with. Mad Gear? The Skull Cross gang? A bunch of punks compared to her. There ain't a lot of people in the business who can boast that they can fire off energy offensively, and she's one of 'em. Getting caught by that spider just meant you were getting deeper and deeper into her web, and you were about to get nailed into the ring with a Vortex Fall. Had that done exactly once to me, and I wasn't too keen on taking it again lemme tell you that much.”

Black Widow, Hanover born and raised, first got started in Japan, in the Iwashigama Japan Women's Pro Wrestling organization. She made a name for herself first and foremost by her mysterious outfit, which was similar to her androgynous one but did not hide her womanhood. This helped keep up the mystery as she would refuse to speak to journalists. The current owner of the Iwashigama Japan Women's Pro Wrestling organization, Yoko Harumage, otherwise known as Yoko Harmageddon, has many stories about her.

_(translated from Japanese)  
_“Yoko Harmageddon here. Be sure to catch Iwashigama Japan Women's Pro Wrestling's new TV show on your local channels, or learn all about Japan Women Pro on our website: iwashigama-jwpw.co.jp.

(What was your experience with Black Widow?)

Black Widow... she came here and she was a giant. We knew we had something great on our hands when she joined us. At six foot six, she stood a good foot above our idol wrestlers! She was more flexible than them, too. Thing is, impressive as she was in the ring, she couldn't speak Japanese! That's why we forbid her from talking at the time.”

Unable to speak with the locals, she often had a handler who doubled as her public face manager. A handler is often provided for wrestlers who are known to have problematic behavior or require constant attention to ensure that their stay within the organization is fruitful for both parties. As Black Widow could not speak Japanese, she had to have a handler to inform her of venue locations, handling more complex interactions with locals. The handler, out of respect for Black Widow and her identity, refused to be a part of this documentary. Yoko, however, has another idea.

“I think she was in love with Widow. At the time, we didn't see much women like her. She was tall, but she was built like a mountain. And you have to care for her almost like a child. I think she fell in love with her because of that contrast. Now, I don't think it was mutual. It's not that I think Black Widow wasn't into it, but I just think she wasn't much into anyone. If we didn't hire her, I think she'd have been the most muscular NEET in history, ha ha ha ha ha!”

Even without this limitation, Black Widow was a reserved individual during her time with Iwashigama-JWPW. Family members, who agreed to be quoted if their names could be hidden to protect Black Widow's identity, were always supporting of her dream to be a professional wrestler. Still, outside of wrestling, few would find anything that could spark her interest. She had problems relating with others, speaking with others. Coming back from school, she'd lock herself in her room with tapes of wrestling matches and would eventually start working out while watching.

**Mike Haggar**  
“Even in the few times we tagged together, she didn't talk much. She's just a naturally withdrawn person. Looking back, I thought it was originally because she didn't want people to know, but she had a voice modulator built in the suit for when she had to cut short promos for the matches. An' she came to the association right after that whole thing with Ortega vanishing, so nobody really noticed at the time. After though, more people noticed. Some were okay with it but Stinger, of course, was trying to get with her even though she's a good foot taller than he is. When we tagged together on a tour, I made sure she got the most time in the ring against him just so she could drive him through the ring!”

Eventually, Japan Women's Pro Wrestling was too small for Black Widow. She knew she wanted to be the best pro wrestler ever, gender be damned. With the CWA not having a recognized Women's division, she modified her bodysuit to look more androgynous, built a voice modulator inside it, and left Iwashigama-JWPW for a time.

She would finally get a chance to show her skills during the International Blowout. The event marking back Victor Ortega's return as an active competitor after disappearing for a year with the championship. While she did not win the International Blowout, she made enough of a splash that the CWA kept booking her in matches, unaware of her secret. Still, while she was reclusive, she often felt that she should not have had to modify her suit the way she did. That it was unfair she was unable to compete on even footing with the men.

**Mike Haggar**  
“I wasn't on that card... I think it happened after I'd temporarily retired from pro wrestling to go into politics but I did watch that show. A lot of people think that Black Widow exposed her secret on a CWA show, but it was actually on the BWA part of a two-part card. Now, I don't know why she chose that moment to do that, but I think it's because she didn't want to shame the CWA on its own turf.”

In the follow up to the International Blowout, a CWA vs. BWA double show would be organized with Victor Ortega and Astro being kept off the cards. The first show would be sanctioned under CWA rules and be held in New York with a main event of Alexei Zalazof vs. Kimala the Bouncer from BWA. The second show would be sanctioned under BWA rules and be held in New Delhi, to which the CWA would send Black Widow.

The card was thus booked, it would be the CWA's Black Widow vs. the BWA's The Wraith. It was often said none who faced The Wraith in the ring came out the same, even if they were victorious. After a 30 minute bloodfest where Black Widow's body suit was ripped apart yet still held plausible deniability, where The Wraith's traditional green skin was blooded all over, Black Widow emerged victorious.

“Imagine this – The Wraith's never been the kind of guy who you'd say is a hometown hero, but he's still from New Delhi and is a deeply religious figure all things considered, and Black Widow beats him in one of the bloodiest matches they've ever seen, even considering the BWA where anything goes. And he's not standing up. And she's picking up a mic.”

**Yoko Harumage**  
“I did not watch the match live, but I did watch it later. It even gave me ideas for our own death matches. Widow won it with a KO with a Vortex Fall from the third rope. Now, I knew her as a reserved woman so I did not expect what she was about to do at all.”

In a move that shocked many, Black Widow ripped off the body suit, and instead of the enigmatic wrestler that had just been through one of the toughest matches of her life, there stood a statuesque powerhouse wearing a white and blue sports bra with a black wrestling singlet, with wrestling shoes.

**Mike Haggar**  
“And then she gathered her courage and said 'I am Black Widow, and I am a woman. Be they man, woman or monster, my web will ensnare them all!' Think I stood there slack jawed for 5 minutes at what happened. She didn't have that opportunity. The crowd was throwing whatever they could at her, enough that the police had to get involved. Whole damn thing caused a riot.”

**Yoko Harumage**  
“Now we at Iwashigama always knew she was a woman, but we knew she had to hide that identity in order to be part of the CWA as it did not have a women's division. Half of our active wrestlers at the time felt she betrayed us when she left, but when she reappeared in the CWA, we knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to show the world women can compete on the biggest stage.”

**Mike Haggar**  
“At first, I didn't want her there, but after my stint in politics, and my well-documented scuffles with street ruffians, I changed my stance.”

We tracked down one of the 'ruffians' in question and she eagerly accepted to be on camera to talk to us about Haggar's former prejudices.

(Please tell us about yourself.)

**Poison**  
“Hey there, Poisonites! It's me, your favorite manager and the woman who'll take over the CWA by storm, Poison! Don't forget to go to prowrestlingswag.com to get your Huge Wrestling Army shirts and support my boy Hugo! Why not get some “Step on me, mistress” Official Poison Collars at the same time?

Now, at this point, Haggar's probably talked about how he started to respect women's fighting ability a bit more after seeing what we could do to his pretty face in the streets. Let's just say I gave him a big headache after shoving my crotch in his face and slamming his head onto the pavement. He kinda had to rethink his stance after that! Of course, at the time we just wanted to stop him from getting his daughter back 'cause Damnd kinda kidnapped her but that's neither here nor there! That's not who I am anymore!”

**Mike Haggar**  
“I'm not the only one who had a problem with them being there. While Victor Ortega wasn't exactly leading the CWA at this point, he still had a lot of political power within the office, and he always saw competition as a gendered thing so he urged the CWA to ban Black Widow from the ring.”

Thanks to the Crash Carnival and International Blowout, pro wrestling was on the rise globally, and thus when Black Widow revealed herself to the world, so was the backlash. News items called for her removal from the ring for her own safety, others mocked the wrestlers who'd lost to her. The CWA was pressured from all sides to ban Black Widow and eventually relented.

**Yoko Harumage**  
“Once the news fell, all of us at Iwashigama Japan Women Pro were crushed. 'She beats one of the invaders on their own turf after a bloody battle and they ban her from the association? What sorts of idiots are they!?' we thought. It's that decision that made us wary when the CWA reached out to us for women talent once they removed that rule. Took us a while, but when they reinstated Black Widow, we saw they were genuine and sent 'em Rainbow Mika and Nadeshiko. Of course, I don't think we could have kept Mika from going, since there were rumors of Zangief being there but that's neither here nor there.

(Did you reach out to Black Widow after the ban?)

“Of course we did! She exposed herself more than we ever thought possible and she got rejected. I might not have been one of my very close friends but she was still a friend. We might beat each other up on a monthly basis, but I'd consider most of our roster good friends, but only after they've graduated from my training. Until they do that, I am Demon Coach Yoko, and I will crack my stick on their back if they're slacking!

Still, we figure that a disgraced woman wrestler versus Yoko Harmageddon would do great numbers so we invite her back and we set up the match. I might be friendly to you, but back then I had a reputation as one of the meanest girls around. I'd gleefully stomp on wrestlers' heads, I'd crack my bamboo sword on top of heir head even if it was illegal, I'd give them the works. We bring in a woman who's gotten shunned out of the CWA, but is still a worldwide sensation to try and stop me from doing whatever I want. Well, she sure stopped me all right.”

During the match, Yoko Harmageddon goes for a brain buster, thinking that Black Widow is weakened enough to put her away for good. Black Widow slips out and gives Yoko a german suplex faster than Yoko can brace and reduce the damage. Undeterred, she picks her back up to finish her off with a Hyper Vortex Fall, an enhanced version of her signature move. The match was determined to be a KO victory for Black Widow, same as her victory over The Wraith.

“That's right, that's been my last match as an active pro wrestler. I don't regret it one bit and I don't even hold a grudge towards Black Widow.

(What was the severity of your injuries?)

The injury was reported as a neck and waist injury, but in reality, it's a narrowing of the spinal column from getting dropped too many times. The Hyper Vortex Fall took years off my career. I'm lucky I managed to get my head up in time, or else she'd have killed me in the ring.

(Do you think it was personally motivated? Was she frustrated?)

She trained her whole life to fight the top wrestlers in the world and I don't think she knew how strong she'd become. I'm lucky I wasn't crippled outright, but I did spend a lot of time in rehabilitation after that match. I didn't want to believe the doctors when they told me I'd never wrestle again, but once I saw the match again, I knew I had to hang it up. This allowed me to concentrate more on back-office things, my wrestling dojo and my bar. Still, I can't look too long at an empty ring, else I just want to get back in there.

As to whether she was frustrated? I think she was. She didn't mean to take it out on me or anything. I just happened to be her first match after getting banned and she had a lot she was going through at the time. The news were relentless in their coverage, and Iwashigama Japan Women's Pro Wrestling caught a bit of it when we decided to bring her back. Of course, being the leader of the organization, I knew exactly what to do to get the news off our backs. After she retired me, we were doing great business. Everyone wanted a crack at the wrestler who ended Yoko Harmageddon's career.”

**Mike Haggar**  
“Changing times and her legendary match against Yoko Harmageddon definitely changed minds. Black Widow became a symbol for women trying to make it in the world of men and the CWA was getting inundated with calls to reinstate Black Widow and overturn the rule that only men could wrestle in its ranks. I had countless fans calling me, asking me to prevent them from running shows in New York as if I could do anything in my capacity as mayor of Metro City. Still, what we'd call the grassroots support was there, and much like it ceded under the pressure of news and more conservative voices, they had to relent on the fans' sentiment here.”

Black Widow was eventually reinstated, and the CWA would no longer enforce bans based on gender after massive fan support for Black Widow. However, what does Black Widow think of all of this? None would ever know. We have tried to contact Black Widow in order to get her side of the story, but she has made it clear through the CWA that she has no interest in revisiting this part of her life and wants to concentrate as much as possible on her wrestling career.

**Mike Haggar**  
“Where she goes from here? Well, I'm hoping she eventually finds a nice enough kid and settles down, but if that ever happens, I'm selling my gym, going to Vegas and betting it all on black because that'll be the day.”

**Yoko Harumage**  
“As reclusive as she is, it's always been better to know Black Widow than not. She's an amazing human being, regardless of what she did to me.”

**Poison**  
“It's thanks to her I can step in a ring in the CWA to help out Hugo from time to time, so I'm not exactly unhappy about what she did but I'm not gonna call her an inspiration or anything.”

Black Widow's story is truly a great showcase that it is possible to make your dreams come true, even if they seem impossible at first glance. Join us next time on Dark Side of the CWA where we will be covering the fallout between Titan the Great and Birdie, the tag team once known as the 500 Trillion Powers.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, author here with some additional explanations for certain contexts.
> 
> I decided to go with the Japanese names/origins rather than the American ones because Ring of Destruction/Super Muscle Bomber's localization causes a problem with these. While they kept the American version of the names, they also kept the names the same for the newcomers (Black Widow and Victor Ortega for the CWA, Rip Saber and The Wraith for the BWA). So to keep everything within one single localization, I made the executive decision to go with the Japanese names. This will most likely get addressed in a later episode, but I felt I should mention this here.
> 
> Thanks to Street Fighter including various CWA wrestlers as part of SF, and mentioning that Zangief has been in the CWA before, I've also taken the opportunity to specify that the CWA/BWA are not worked. Doubly so when we consider the BWA's weapons. It's practically impossible to gimmick Rip Saber's hand grenades after all. It would also help justify all the craziness.
> 
> I'd also highly suggest not caring much about the timeline of events for this. Capcom doesn't really do so themselves, so I gotta work with what I got.


End file.
